Marin County will hold its first POW/MIA Recognition Day on Saturday, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium at San Rafael's Civic Center. The event is free and open to the public, and is hosted by the Marin Alliance for the American Spirit (MAAS), a newly formed nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring active duty soldiers and veterans. The program will include a tribute to all veterans, speakers, music, a military flyover and a free reception.
In 1979, Congress passed a resolution authorizing National POW/MIA Recognition Day as a day for Americans to remember the nation's prisoners of war (POWs) and soldiers who are missing in action (MIAs) as well as their families, to be held on the third Friday of September. Local events are organized by veterans across the county.
The Dept. of Defense puts the total of MIAs at 87,000 and 142,000 POWS – 17,000 of whom died while interned – since World War II.
The nonprofit Marin Alliance for the American Spirit's mission is to develop and present educational programs that foster patriotism and a sense of community, and to host events honoring active duty soldiers, veterans and their families.
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